We were excited to go to Pho Nomenon, one of the new restaurants that opened recently in Hoboken. It replaced Hoboken Cottage that was really not one of my favorites. Well, think about it: they were proposing Chinese and Turkish cuisine; not sure what the link between the two is...Nevertheless, I tried both and did not like it.

dining room at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

So, we arrived in the restaurant that had a medium size dining room, dominated by a painting of Buddha.

As soon as we sat, they brought us some green tea that was welcome considering the temperature outside, and kept serving it as soon as our cups were half empty.

green tea at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

As an appetizer, we ordered Goi Cuon Chav or vegetarian Summer rolls:

vegetarian summer rolls at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

Contrary to spring rolls, they are not fried, making it a healthier version. It was made of rice noodles, fried tofu, picked carrots, daikon, lettuce and mint, wrapped in rice paper.

vegetarian summer rolls at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

It has been a while since I ate this kind of roll and it was delicious, very refreshing, especially thanks to the mint. I ate it with the peanut sauce that came with and I also tried with some hoisin sauce that added some sweetness.

Hoisin and siracha sauces at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

Then, they brought some soy, lemon and basil for the Pho.

Soy, lemon and basil at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

Because we did not care about the rest of the menu: we came for Pho, this Vietnamese soup that was born in the 20th century in Northern Vietnam, taking some influence from both French and Chinese cuisine. Some believe that Pho is derived from "Pot au feu", a classic beef stew. I guess that now you see the link with the name of the restaurant, Pho Nomenon! Lets see if it is a real phenomenon!

Jodi ordered a vegetarian Pho with mixed vegetables, mushrooms and tofu. It was in fact the only one of the menu that did not have a Vietnamese name.

mixed vegetable Vietnamese soup at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

On my side, I ordered the Pho Tai Chin Nam Ve:

Pho Tai Chin Nam Ve Vietnamese soup at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

It was a beef broth with eye round steak, brisket and flank. It definitely had a nice smell, quite appetizing. The meat was good, although a bit overcooked. However, there were some pieces of fat that were not good at all.

Noodles in Vietnamese soup at Pho Nomenon in Hoboken, NJ

I have mixed feelings about that place: it was cheap and decent, but the food was not to the point where I would want to go back quickly.

Enjoy (...)!

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